Los Angeles Sparks guard Kate Martin (21) thanks the crowd for her welcome before the game against the Golden State Valkyries in the Commissioner’s Cup at Chase Center. (Photo: Robert Kupbens-Imagn Images)
LOS ANGELES — Breakups are never easy, especially when both parties still have lingering feelings for each other. For Kate Martin and the Golden State Valkyries, the love and adoration that they have for one another will likely never truly go away. And while the saying goes, “time heals all wounds”, Monday night’s game that saw the Valkyries host Martin’s new team, the Los Angeles Sparks, was a reminder that the emotions are still raw for all those involved.
“I mean it’s still pretty fresh,” said Martin as she addressed the media in front of the visiting team’s locker room. “I don’t know if this is something you ever fully get over.”
Although Martin has displayed nothing but professionalism since her decision to sign a Developmental Player contract with the Los Angeles Sparks after getting waived by Golden State, she has been candid with regards to how she feels about her former team.
“These girls are really important to me,” said Martin declaratively. “This organization is really important to me.”
If it is any consolation to Martin, Valkyries Head Coach Natalie Nakase and the Valkyries shared a similar sentiment.
”Obviously, we miss her energy, her comedy, her ruthlessness, when she helps us too,” Nakase said with a smile that was fueled by fond memories of Martin’s Valkyries tenure. “I’m excited to see her. Obviously, I miss her. She’s family.”
Despite league expansion and a new collective bargaining agreement, the WNBA still limits the size of each ‘family’ to 12 players on standard deals and two players on developmental contracts. Within this context, the decision to waive Martin was tantamount to Golden State saying “it’s not you, it’s me”. Because of a Valkyries training camp roster that was disproportionately heavy on wings and additional circumstances that were beyond her control, Martin was the victim of a cruel, but all too common, numbers game for WNBA players.
While all the wins and excitement from the Valkyries’ inaugural season will remain memorable, it is the shared adversity between Martin and her former teammates that makes it difficult to find closure with her Valkyries run.
“Whenever you go through a hard time, you just become really bonded,” Martin mused. “This whole fanbase really embraced me and took me in, and Nat (Nakase) and Ohemaa (Nyanin) took a chance on me, picking me up in the expansion draft, and so I’m forever thankful for that. And then just the bonds that you create with the girls, those aren’t things that just go away; you’re gonna feel that forever.”
Los Angeles Sparks guard Kate Martin (21) defended by Valkyries guard Veronica Burton (22) on June 15, 2026 at Chase Center in San Francisco, CA. (Photo: Lucina M)
Perhaps it would have been a lot easier for Martin to process getting waived at the conclusion of Golden State’s training camp if that mutual admiration between Martin and the Valkyries did not exist. If that were the case, Martin could simply focus on what she could have done better to strengthen her standing on Golden State’s depth chart.
To her credit, Martin has always displayed a considerable amount of self-awareness. At the onset of Valkyries training camp, Martin acknowledged that her poor shot selection throughout the 2025 season was the main reason why she struggled to shoot the ball, especially from behind the arc (31.0% on 4.4 3PA per game). Even further reflection led Martin to the realization that her overall process during Golden State’s inaugural season did not optimize or maximize her own skillset.
“I’m not just a three-point shooter,” said Martin during a moment of self-reflection.” I never have been. If you watch my college games, I was never just a three-point shooter. And so I think I kind of got stuck in that thinking that I need to shoot the ball a lot more than what I actually needed to do.
“And so I do want to do a little more playmaking and get to the paint more this year. Attacking more…try to get into the paint and make a play from there. If I have my teammate open pass; if I have the rim, take it to the rim. Not force anything, but also not be afraid to shoot.”
Sure enough, Martin’s 2026 season has seen the former Iowa star play with a lot more vigor and energy, especially off the ball. Martin is proactively cutting to the rim. She is making the extra connective passes to her teammates and is working early in possessions to get to the weak side corner and confidently take open catch-and-shoot (C&S) 3-pointers. The rhythm and assertiveness has returned to Martin’s offense. The only problem is that her game is beginning to come together on a team that is not Golden State.
As the saying goes, ”there are plenty more fish in the sea”, and for Martin, that new fish is in fact the Los Angeles Sparks. On a team that features the WNBA’s leading scorer (Kelsey Plum), a future Hall of Famer (Nneka Ogwumike), an All-Star center (Dearica Hamby), and a young, two-way Swiss Army knife forward/center (Cameron Brink), Martin has found both an on-court role and a place within the Sparks’ team culture.
Brink can attest to the rapid development she has seen in Martin’s game. After competing together as teammates on Breeze BC in this past season of Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball League, Brink has noticed significant growth in Martin’s on-court skills as well as her ability to display leadership in multiple ways.
Los Angeles Sparks guard Kate Martin (21) dribbles the ball during the second quarter against the Golden State Valkyries in a Commissioner’s Cup game at Chase Center. (Photo: Robert Kupbens-Imagn Images)
“I mean it’s her confidence,” Brink exclaimed as she beamed with excitement. “She’s a three-level scorer in my opinion, and she can defend, and she’s just a very high IQ player. I think she has that kind of coach’s mindset and is always adding in great just tidbits for everyone to just tune into.”
Martin’s rejuvenated confidence combined with her high IQ has been evident in the types of looks she has helped create for herself. Given the defensive attention that Plum, Ogwumike, and Hamby regularly receive, Martin has made a concerted effort to cut, flare, or curl off the ball. As a result, Martin is converting 75.0% of her layups (up from 41.4% during the 2025 season) and she’s shooting 41.7% on C&S 3-pointers (up from 31.7% from the prior year).
As her playing time and field goal attempts increase as the season goes on, the shooting efficiency may take a gradual dip. But overall, Martin’s approach and process has been a monumental shift from what she exhibited a year ago. In her lone season with the Valkyries, 70.9% of Martin’s C&S 3P attempts were contested (defender within 5 ft of Martin). In contrast, only 25.0% of Martin’s C&S 3P attempts with the Sparks have been heavily guarded.
Martin’s methodical patience combined with her physical tenacity has allowed her to become the ideal utility player for the Sparks.
”Kate’s been great,” exclaimed Martin’s teammate, guard/forward Rae Burrell. “I mean, since day one, she comes in, she talks, she’s encouraging, she brings energy, she pays attention, she’s always ready. So yeah, she’s been great. She’s just fun to be around and amazing to play with.”
Despite all the enthusiasm and excitement that Martin’s addition has brought to the Sparks roster, her game versus the Valkyries marked her ninth game of gameday eligibility. With only three games of eligibility remaining on Martin’s Developmental Player contract, the Sparks will have to make a decision soon regarding her future with the team. If the Sparks want Martin to remain on the active roster, one of her teammates would have to be waived to open a roster spot for Martin. Once again, one of Martin’s current teammates would have to be subjected to the same harsh numbers game that resulted in Martin’s departure from Golden State.
But for what it is worth, Martin’s on- and off-court impact has not gone unnoticed by Los Angeles’ coaching staff.
“It seems like wherever Kate goes, people love her,” Sparks Head Coach Lynne Roberts mused. “And that’s true in LA. She just has a way about her that you just kind of warm to her. She just has a way.”
But on the court, Martin has impressed Roberts with her poise and mental fortitude. “She’s been great for us. She’s just a pro and this is her third team in three years. That’s hard. It’s a challenge for any player. Three different systems; three different coaches. But she’s just a pro and a competitor and we love having her in LA. Love her!”
Los Angeles Sparks guard Kate Martin (21) reacts after a three-point basket during the first half against the Toronto Tempo at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images)
If (or when) the Sparks ultimately choose to elevate Martin to the team’s main roster, Martin can begin to write the next chapter of her professional basketball career that is truly independent and irrespective of her time with Golden State.
“I am where my feet are,” Martin expressed. “I love it in LA, and I love these girls, I love this team and organization.”
Time will tell if Kate Martin and Los Angeles (or perhaps another WNBA team) can forge a meaningful connection that rivals the relationship she had with the Golden State Valkyries. But life in the WNBA tends to mirror social life, and players ultimately have to take things one day at a time; one game at a time.
And for Kate Martin, she just has to remember that every great relationship begins with a spark.
